I laid down to sleep last night, and it struck me. “I’m ready! It’s time to go.” 3 days earlier than originally planned. 25 days since leaving home. A little indecision, not much, followed by a flurry of activity to confer with Sharon, change tickets and figure out what I need to do to wrap things up. Past 1 AM when my head hit pillow. Restless night with over-tiredness and anticipation taking turns keeping me awake. I like not counting the days ‘til departure (dead time in purgatory) – just get going.
So many things are done differently over here. One that I really like is that the person doing the leaving throws the party. I took my one-on-one teacher out to lunch and bought a Black Forest Cake for my classmates. (Now even the French gal and Vietnamese gal have a certain affection for me.) And I’m leaving in the nick of time. Today the teacher kicked it up a notch and left me in the dust. It was nice of them to coddle me for the past three weeks. With me in their rear view mirror, they’re getting down to business.
Comfort food for dinner at my favorite American restaurant in the ShiDa district of Taipei -- 2 eggs over hard, grilled cheese sandwich, hash browns and a coke. Breakfast and lunch for dinner! Wonderful!
On this adventure, I was so ill-prepared for my conscious objective – learning to speak Chinese in a Chinese city – and so well prepared for my unconscious objective – watching myself experience a situation for which I’m so unprepared. Both have left me a little ragged. My early departure makes good sense – I’ll need more than a weekend to decompress before re-engaging in work on Monday.
Another 24 hour trip ahead. I appreciate my foresight in splurging travel miles on Business Class. I may post entries in airports along the way if there’s something to be said. And will wrap up the blog with an epilogue upon my return to hearth and home.
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